For more information on child welfare issues involving children and youth of color, please visit our Hot Topics page at http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/children-of-color.html

For information on the disproportionate representation of children and youth of color in the child welfare system, please visit our Hot Topics page at http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/disproportionate.html

Resources

• Nuestra Familia, Nuestra Cultura: (Our Family, Our Culture) Promoting & Supporting Latino Families in Adoption and Foster Care
  This AdoptUSKids guide provides background information about Latino family and cultural values to increase our understanding of Latinos in the United States. It offers workers in the child welfare field specific tips and techniques for overcoming challenges and increasing effectiveness in working with potential foster or adoptive parents of Latino heritage. In developing the guide, the authors drew heavily upon the experiences and suggestions of Latino foster and adoptive parents, Latino youth who are in foster care or who have been adopted, and bicultural, bilingual child welfare professionals. The guide includes the following sections (each with subsections): (1) Introduction; (2) Latinos in the U.S.; and, (3) Working Effectively with Latino Families. Appendices include: (A) Cultural Competency Self-Test and (B) Recommended Resources. (September 2008)

• Creating a Latino Child Welfare Agenda: A Strategic Framework for Change
  This report by the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, Inc. contains an agenda developed by a conference which addressed the specific needs of Latino families in order to formulate a national agenda.

• Every Child Deserves a Permanent Family: Subsidized Guardianship as a Common Sense Solution for Children in Long-Term Relative Foster Care
  This report from Generations United now features new data on the number of Latino children in foster care and in relative care. The report shows that federal subsidized guardianship for relatives of children for whom reunification with their parents or adoption is not possible is a practical way to create safe, permanent and loving families for children in foster care. Also available in Spanish.

• Latin American Children of Immigrants Are Underrepresented in Texas's Child Welfare System
  Texan children with Latin American immigrant parents are underrepresented among those removed from their homes by the state's Child Protective Services (CPS) because of abuse and neglect, a new Urban Institute analysis reveals. This page links to three studies that examine child welfare issues by child generation and ethnicity.

• Services for Hispanic Children and Families
  A series of Special Forums were held at the Georgetown University Training Institutes in July 2006 to provide opportunities for dialogue about critical issues in order to contribute to the development of future policy and technical assistance. This paper presents the issues and recommendations from the Special Forum on Services for Hispanic Children and Families.

• 'Bad' Mothers and Spanish-Speaking Caregivers
  This article from Nevada Law Review illustrates an intersection of Latino families with the child welfare system and highlights the importance and vulnerability of language in this system.

• Glossary of Child Welfare Terms in Spanish and English
  In the interest of better serving the needs of Spanish-speaking families and professionals who work with them, Child Welfare Information Gateway developed this glossary to ensure consistency and cultural relevance in their publications. By making this document available to others, they hope to support other organizations that are also striving to improve their communications and to promote, where possible, consistency throughout the child welfare field. Child Welfare Information Gateway provides a glossary of common child welfare terms translated from English to Spanish and Spanish to English.
  English to Spanish
  Spanish to English
  
  
• The National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute
  The National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute brings together nationally recognized leaders in the fields of Latino health, education, social services, and community outreach. Their mission is to build upon Latino cultural strengths and traditions and offer a path for men of all ages to become Un Homebre Noble, or a Noble man.
  
  
• Nuestras Historias
  Nuestras Historias is a collection of 10 stories in Spanish about parenting by Mexican-American immigrant mothers, published by Rise Magazine. Stories explore the challenges these mothers face maintaining safe and stable homes and supporting their children and families while living in a new culture. Stories were developed in a writing workshop at the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, in Brooklyn, New York. Rise Magazine is written by and for parents involved in the child welfare system. Its mission is to help parents advocate for themselves and their children. (2011)
  
  
• Remove Barriers and Latino Families will Adopt
  Adoption in the Latino Community. By Maria L. Quintanilla, LCSW, Executive Director, Latino Family Institute. Published on LatinoLA: February 2, 2006.
  The Latino Family Institute (LFI), a federally and state funded adoption and foster care agency in Southern California, understands that certain factors keep Latino families from pursuing formal adoption. Director Maria Quintanilla has identified procedures that neutralize barriers for Latino families, foster trust in agencies, and empower families. Her findings, summarized in this article, address issues unique to the Latino adoption experience.

• Georgia: Culturally Competent Practice With Latino Families
  This training curriculum is intended to provide participants with an introduction to the basic concepts of culturally competent practice and specific skills and knowledge for culturally competent practice with Latino families.

• Illinois: Latino Consortium
  The Latino Consortium is a partnership of Illinois social service agencies that provide an array of culturally competent support services for Latino children and families in cooperation with the Department of Children and Family Services and its Office of Latino Services.

Bibliography

• Child Welfare Issues in Latino/Chicano Communities: A Selected Annotated Bibliography (1984-1993)
  This annotated bibliography from the University of Minnesota School of Social Work was prepared to demonstrate the range of published materials available to students, teachers, and community practitioners. Topics were selected that are central to the concerns of those who have an interest in child welfare issues associated with the Latino and Chicano communities.

PowerPoint Presentation

Depression Among Latino Children in the Public Child Welfare System
This presentation was given by researchers from the University of Washington at the Building on Family Strengths Conference in 2007.

Websites

• The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families
  Since 1982, The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, Inc. (CHCF) has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for Latino children and their families. Believing that the most effective way to serve Latino families is by building upon their existing strengths and fostering self-sufficiency, CHCF provides a number of programs and services to the community in the areas of Youth Development, Child Care Services, and Family Health Education. Grounded in its direct services, CHCF is active on the local, state and national policy arena around issues of child welfare and the well-being of Latino children.
  
  
• Hispanic Child Support Resource Center and Hispanic Outreach Toolkit  HHS’ Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Office of Child Support Enforcement created this Hispanic Outreach Toolkit, an addition to its online Hispanic Child Support Resource Center, to help raise awareness and ensure access to child support services throughout the Hispanic community. The Hispanic Child Support Resource Center provides materials to assist child support agencies in developing and enhancing partnerships with community and faith-based organizations as a means to provide child support information for underserved populations. As an improvement to the online resource center, the Hispanic Outreach Toolkit provides access to outreach materials specifically designed for the Hispanic Community, such as posters, brochures, public service announcements, partnership letters and other outreach materials to help state child support agencies create effective and culturally appropriate outreach initiatives. All materials are free, easy to access and can be customized to include information about the local agency or community-based organization in English and Spanish.